Dodge City baseball team hit the road for the first time this season and squared off against a top-notch opponent in the #9 ranked team by Perfect Game in their Top 25 rankings in the Weatherford Coyotes. 
 
The Conquistadors would give the Coyotes all they could handle but headed home with three tough losses falling 8-7, 4-3 in nine innings (extra's), and 8-2. The losses move the Conqs to 4-3 on the season. 
 
Conqs hit the road again next weekend when they head back to Texas to take on Perfect Game JUCO Top 25 ranked #20 team, Midland for a four-game series over three days February 25th-27th. 
 
Game 1 – Lost 8-7 at Weatherford
 
The Conqs struggled out of the gate as they went down in order to open the series and then saw Weatherford score two runs in the bottom of the first. However, the Conqs limited the damage to just two runs as the Coyotes left the bases loaded as Adam Walker struck out the side after surrendering the two runs. The top of the third saw the Conqs offense break free as they scored four runs highlighted by a bases-clearing three-RBI triple by Cale Blasi and a sac-fly by Jake Miller to score another run making it 4-2 Conqs. That lead dissipated in the bottom of the fifth when Weatherford tied the game up with a pair of runs and then took the lead with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Conqs did not go quietly getting a three-run homer by Caden Matlon in the eighth to make it a one-run game but in the ninth, the game would end on a conversational call at the plate finishing the contest 8-7 in favor of Weatherford. 
 
Blasi had a solid day at the plate going 2-5 with three RBI, a triple, run scored, and a double, while five other Conqs had a hit. Matlon was 1-4 with three RBI, a home run, and a run scored and Camden Thrailkill went 1-2 with a run scored and two walks. Despite giving up two runs on three hits and four walks, Adam Walker recorded seven strikeouts in three innings. 
 
 
Game 2 – Lost 4-3 at Weatherford (9 innings)
 
Conqs struck first in game two of the series scoring two runs in the top of the second inning as Zandt Payne and James Dunlap put together back-to-back RBI singles in the inning. That 2-0 lead held up until the bottom of the sixth inning when Weatherford broke through and scored two runs and threatened for more, but the Conqs managed to just surrender the two to make it a tie ballgame. The contest originally scheduled for a seven-inning game would need extra innings to decide the winner and in the ninth, the Conqs regained the lead as Trevor Blackwell blasted a solo home run making it 3-2, but in the bottom of the ninth Weatherford worked the bases loaded and then got a one-out double that scored two runs to give them the 4-3 win in nine innings.
 
Blackwell finished the game going 2-4 with a home run, RBI, and run scored, while Jake Miller added a 2-4 performance. James Dunlap was also 2-4 with an RBI and walk. In the loss, Shea Walker was solid on the mound tossing six innings giving up just two runs on three hits, three walks, and a pair of hit batters, while striking out seven. Justus Revill tossed a solid two and one-third innings of relief. 
 
Game 3 – Lost 8-2 at Weatherford
 
Weatherford jumped on the Conqs early in the final game of the three-game series in Texas as the Coyotes scored three in the bottom first and second innings each and then two more in the third to lead 8-0. The Conqs finally got some offense going in the contest in the top of the fifth scoring a run on a Dunlap RBI double and then another on an RBI single by Nathan Szymanski to make it 8-2. The score remained 8-2 and the Coyotes went on to take the game in seven innings. 
 
Dunlap paced the Conqs offense as he was 3-4 with an RBI and double, while Szymanski finished 1-2 with an RBI. Blake Anderson started the contest tossing two and two-thirds innings, while Tristan Wolf was strong in relief tossing three and one-third innings giving up no runs on just one hit and no walks while striking out four.